AND so Newcastle United’s beleaguered troops sit and wait on Death Row.

The chillingly painful scenario that awaits them is a final-day shoot-out at Villa Park in a game that means that they must get something or they WILL be relegated and face home games with Blackpool, Plymouth and Barnsley.

No longer is their top flight destination within their own hands and even a victory against Aston Villa could result in a shameful relegation to second tier football.

That all despite big ideas, big talk and big ambition during the Mike Ashley era at St James’s Park which was supposed to result in a re-entry to football’s top table and the privilege of rubbing shoulders again with Europe’s top guns.

The great Sir Bobby Robson sat frail watching the developments of his two old sides doing battle on the hallowed turf praying that the Magpies could earn their keep in the Premier League by delivering three massive, massive points against the not so mighty Fulham.

However, by the end even Sir Bob knew that the reason that the black and whites emerged empty handed was simply because Newcastle have not been any near good enough to justify their top flight existence.

Never have two consecutive fixtures on Tyneside been so different.

The euphoria of seven days ago against a hopeless Middlesbrough side was quickly forgotten.

Fittingly the black clouds flocked in over St James’s Park with five minutes to go and the rain lashed down on the 10-man outfit.

It was just a universe away from Kevin Keegan’s team that destroyed Manchester United 5-0 in 1996.

It made KK’s side that beat Portsmouth in 1992 look like world beaters.

And even the infamous 1988/89 relegation flops would perhaps have given it a better crack than Saturday.

All of it so mind-numbingly gloomy as Newcastle melted on the big stage against Roy Hodgson’s Cottagers on a day when they had their Premier League livelihoods well within their grasp – and Alan Shearer was quite right to be furious with the situation.

Yes, United started with plenty of endeavour and looked capable of seeing off Fulham with pride at stake and all round Tyneside dignity threatening to escape them.

But while they turned on a performance that on any other given day would have churned out some respectability in the big league due to a lack of the rub of the green, they didn’t show the conviction needed to kill off the threat of a humiliating demotion to second tier soccer.

They didn’t kill off the threat of a southern based media circus who can’t wait to sink their teeth into a side that lacked heart, courage and all- round necessary bottle to seal their place at the top end of football’s big time.

Newcastle threatened at times, and perhaps Obafemi Martins’ shot that slammed off the post deserved better.

However, the fact that Fulham regrouped from early pressure to carve Newcastle open, offside or not, shows that no matter what way you look at it the Toon have been shamefully short of quality this season.

Diomansy Kamara’s strike four minutes before the break was criminal from a United defensive viewpoint, especially the way that Erik Nevland almost called the shots to leave the African with enough time to almost get down on his hands and knees and nod the ball into an unguarded goal.

Newcastle were unlucky in the second half but that counts for sweet FA when you are fighting for survival.

Howard Webb seemed desperate to make a point in the refereeing stakes on Saturday after TV replays has exposed the lack of accurate officiating in Monday night’s sound 3-1 over Boro.

Back then Kevin Nolan’s undetected block that resulted in Steven Taylor’s equaliser meant that United’s attacking impetus from flag kicks was always going to be under close scrutiny.

And when Mark Viduka flicked home Danny Guthrie’s corner early in the second period, Webb almost made a point in chalking out the effort for a supposed infringement.

All of it well and good in a world of consistent refereeing but in a season of refs’ blunders at St James’s Park, Habib Beye’s red card against Man Cty the top of a long list, it was of no consolation for the Mags.

United needed much more than huff and puff after that and despite pressure they could not force the goal that would mean Hull City go into the final day shoot-out under immense pressure.

Sebastian Bassong’s red card towards the end for pulling back Kamara was a byproduct of the desperate measures United had to take in order to fight back.

It was a straight red card in the circumstances and Webb couldn’t wait to send Bassong down the tunnel.

It meant an almost desperate 4-3-2 formation for the black and whites and as the black clouds descended on St James’s it was looking ominous.

Nicky Butt’s late effort was beaten away by Mark Schwarzer at the death and even then a draw would have kept the Toon out of the dropzone.

But even then Newcastle would have been fortunate on a day when the reality of failure struck home.

Now only two big questions remain for the Mags.

Firstly can an equally poor Hull beat champions and Champions League finalists Manchester United on their own patch?

And can Newcastle go to Villa and at least draw if Hull fail?

And Sunderland, of course, could still be battling for survival depending on tonight’s result at Portsmouth.

None of it straightforward, none of it pleasant and none of it part of Ashley’s fantasy of taking Newcastle on to the next level after the questionable regime of Freddy Shepherd and his long list of managers.

All of it so typically typical of Newcastle United, the soap opera and sick plot of a club that seem intent on putting us all through so much unnecessary stress.

Even if Newcastle do survive it could be argued that they don’t deserve to after a campaign of mismanagement, bad decisions and downright naivety at boardroom level that leaves this once great institution on the brink of disaster.

The fat lady is warming up but who is prepared to bear the burden of taking Newcastle United from the Ritz to the rubble in just two ill-fated years?